Collapsible market-basket.



W. ROSS.

COLLAPSIBLE MARKET BASKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-6,1916.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

I 2 amvmtoz WH LTER ROSS WALTER ROSS, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

CULJLAPSIBLE MEET-,BASEET.

Specification r Letters Patnt. t t- 11 e pg, apa

Application filed March 6, 1916. Serial No. 82,471.

- accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to baskets'and like structures, and the general object of the invention is the provision of a basket or carrier of skeleton construction, so formed that it may be folded into 'a compact shape .for transportation and opened out so as to have the shape of an ordinarybasket.

A further object of the :invention is to rev de a ve sim 1e construction to this P '5 P end hich may be easily mader which is light, convenient in its operation, and which is very efi'ec tive for the purpose intended.

Still another object is to provide a device of this kind having an auxiliary handle,

which, when the basket is folded or collapsed, afi'ords means whereby the folded basket may be carried, means being also provided for holding the basket in its folded condition.

Other objects will appear in the course unfolded, the drawing showing in dotted lines the position of the end members when disconnected from the side members; Fig.

2 is a side elevation of the basket in a folded position; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail perspective view showing adjacent portions of the end and'side members; Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the loop on one of the side members and showing the locking bight on the adjacent .end member; Fig. 5 is a series of perspective views, designated at, 0 and d, respectively, showing the manner in which the basket is folded.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the basket comprises a Wireor rod 10 bent to form a rectangular frame 11 constituting the bottom of the basket, this 'wire or rod at the corners being bent to provide eyes 12 extending in a plane atright angles to.

the plane of the frame 11.. The ends of the rod 10 may be joined in any suitable manner, as by interengaging eys 13 as shown in Fig. 1. Passing through each latwires 25.

I the wire 16 passes'through the eyes 12 and has A rotatable engagement therewith.

The rectangular frame formed by the wires-hr rods 16 is braced at its middle by a cross brace 18. The ends of the basket are each formed by a rectangular frame 19 formed of a rod or wire bent into U-shape, the extremities of the rod or wire 19 being bent around the end wires of the frame 11 as at 20., Extending across the arms of the [Ll-shaped end piecesli) is a brace 21, and at the upper corners of the end members 19 the wire forming the U-shaped frame is bent upon itself, as shown in Fig. 4, to constitute a tongue 22 enlarged at its outerend and adapted to be forced through the eyes 17. The frame 11 is braced by a longitudinal'rod 23 engaged withtheends of the frame 11 and by a transverse rod 24 engaged. at its ends with the side bars of the frame 11.

The handle of the basket is formed by a wire bent to provide parallelbars 25'connected at their ends by cross pieces 26, the bars 25 being divergent at their ends and being covered by a strip of metal 27, the edges of which are bent around beneath the Mounted upon the upper rods or wires 16 of the side frames are u shaped links 28, which are pivoted upon the upthe extremities of the handle is formed by a strip of metal 31 forming the sleeve. embracing the adjacent cross bars.

' shown in Fig. 2, and it is necessary to provide a handle for it under these circumstances. To this end I provide a U-shaped rod or 'wire designatedgenerally 32, formed to provide a cross'piece 33 and the legs 34;. The material of these legs at their extremities are re-bent as at 35 so as to embrace the brace Wire 23 as shown clearly in Fig. 1

and to form a slot through which the brace wire 23 passes so that this handle member 32 may be drawn outward to the position shown in Fig. 2 or shifted inward to the position shown in Fig. 1.

Byreference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the basket is set up, the ends of T the basket are disposed in a vertical posihandle 32 ispushed inward so as to form part of the bottom of the basket. Y

While the basket as shown in Fig. 1 is skeleton in form, it is obvious that paper .may be placed within the basket and the basket used for holding vegetables or other materials. The manner in which the basket may be collapsed is illustrated in Fig. 5.

In this figure, the diagram a shows one of the end frames disengaged and beingturned inward. 'The diagram 1; shows the other end frame being turned inward upon the first end frame. The diagram crshows one of the side frames being folded "inward upon the end frames, and the diagram 03 shows the position. taken by the parts when the side frames are nearly folded inward upon the base and end frames. When the basket is folded flat it takes the position shown in Fig, 2. In order to hold the basket in this flattened position, I provide a hook 36 which is formed of an angular piece of wire, one end of which extends beneaththe bar 14 of one of the side frames -11 and is then, extended over to the longitudinalbrace bar 23 and is engaged with the wire 23 on each side of the cross bar 24,

- thus holding the cross bars or braces in proper rectangular relation to each other.

\ When the parts are folded as illustrated in Fig. 2 this hook engages over the adjacent member 30 as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2. The handle formed by themembers 33 and 34 is then pulledoutward to the position shown in F ig. 2 so that the device may. be carried.

v While I have illustrated the ends 'of the wiresforming the various frames as being intertwisted, it is obvious that they may be braced or otherwise connected, and it will also be obvious that many minor changes \in the details may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. My deviceis very convenient, compact, easily and cheaply made, and is thoroughly effective in use.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A collapsible basket comprising a base frame, side frames and end frames, each of said frames being rectangular in form and made of Wire, the side frames and end frames being operatively hinged to the base frame for movement into parallel or rectangular relation thereto and to each other, means for locking the side and end frames in rectangular relation to each other and'to the base frame, and a handle connected by a plurality of hinged links to the upper side bars of the side frames.

2. A collapsible basket comprisinga base frame, side frames and end frames, each of said frames being rectangular in form and made of wire, the side frames and end frames being operatively hinged to the base frame for movement into parallel or rectangular relation thereto and to each other, means for locking the side and end frames in rectangular relation to each otherand to the base frame, links hinged to the upper side bars of the side frames, a transversely extending handle, and links operatively hinged to the first-named links and to the handle. Y

3. A collapsible basket comprising a rec-- tangular base frame formed of wire and bent at its corners to provide eyes extending at right angles to the plane of the base frame, a rectangular side frame formed of wire and providing upper and lower longitudinally extending bars, the lower bar of each side frame being passed through the corresponding eyes on the base frame, the wire at the junction of the upper bar of each frame and the end bars thereof being bent to form eyes extending at right angles to the plane of the side frame, wire end frames rectangular in form having their [extremities bent .around the end members of the base frame, said end frames at their corners being provided with outwardly projecting loops forming tongues engageable in the eyes in the side 'frame, a handle, and a plurality of links between each end of the handle and the upper bar of the corre-- sponding side frame, the links being hingedly connected to each other.

1 4. A collapsible basket formed of a base, side and end members adapted to be folded into-parallel relation and into rectangular relation, a'handle linked to the side frames, and an auxiliary handle operatively engaged with the base frame and adapted to be shifted to be projected therefromin the plane of the base frame.

' 5 A collapsible basket formed of a base, side and end members adapted to be folded into parallel relation and into rectangular relation, a handle linked to the side frames, 130

1,2oe,oao list and an auxiliary handle ofperatively engaged with the base frame and adapted to be shifted to be projected therefrom in the plane of the base frame, said handle having legs extending transversely of the base frame and having sliding engagement therewith.

6. A collapsible basket formed of a base, side and end wire frames, each of said frames being rectangular in form, the side and end frames being hinged to the base frame and adapted to be turned into rightangular position thereto and to each other, a longitudinally extending brace on the base frame, a handle having linked engagement with the upper bars of the side frames, and an auxiliary handle U-shaped in form to provide parallel legs, and a connecting member, the legs being bent to provide elongated loops embracing and having sliding engagement with said longitudinally extending brace whereby the auxiliary handle may be shifted into position with its cross bar adjacent to one of the side bars of the base frame or may be shifted out; ward to provide for carrying the base frame and to provide for carrying the basket when collapsed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

v WALTER ROSS. Witnesses:

C. C. LESLIE, SARAH R. CHASE. 

